RICHMOND—No. 3 Southampton Academy’s early 3-1 lead over No. 1 Steward School didn’t last as the Spartans defeated the Raiders 13-3 during the Virginia Commonwealth Conference semifinals Friday.

“We jumped out early in the game and after that, it was pretty much downhill,” said SA Coach Tim Nixon. “We had four hits and Steward had 10 hits. We had only one error.”

Leading for the Raiders was Wesley Barnes who hit a single and triple and made all of the team’s RBIs.

Garrett Smith was tagged with the loss.

Nixon believes the Raiders have a shot at the state tournament, which opens Tuesday, May 17. He will know by Sunday night.